Case Study – Changing industries… How Cathy made it happen!

Cathy did what so many people want to do in these covid times – she reinvented herself! She wanted to leave the old behind and start something new and exciting! She used the time during lockdowns and shutdowns to complete a Diploma of Interior of Design and a Property Manager’s Certificate and felt ready to go! BUT HOW?? How could she go from a 15+ year career in Hospitality/Tourism/Retail industries to Real Estate and Interior Design?

Well first of all, she realised she’d need some help. In her own words: “As I haven’t had to apply for a job for 16 years, I feel a bit out of the loop with resumes/cover letters and interviews. I haven’t used LinkedIn as of yet. It all seems a bit daunting.”

I’m so glad she reached out, as we know that the best candidate doesn’t always get the job – your application needs to be sharp, it needs to stand out, spark interest in you as a person, convincingly sell your transferable skills and be ATS* friendly! (*Applicant Tracking System – a shortlisting and candidate management system that makes the selection process easier for the employer, but that carries the risk of letting highly suitable applicants still fall through, unless the ATS algorithms were kept in mind when writing the resume)

Cathy wanted to see this career change happen sooner rather than later, so she signed up for the Career Accelerator Program. After the clarity coaching session, she realised that there could be two pathways into her dream industries, and she decided to go ahead with two different resume targets, depending on what opportunities would come around first.

As Cathy would experience, having tailored, targeted resumes and cover letters are KEY to getting interviews! If you’re trying to apply for jobs with a generic resume and you’re constantly getting knockbacks, there’s your answer!

Once the goals had been established and pathways mapped out, Cathy got to work. She was extremely determined and I loved working with someone so committed to the process! She followed the six steps of the program and, not surprisingly, she had great results, getting invited to multiple interviews – despite ZERO industry experience! One of them led to a paid work trial – that led to a job offer, all within just 5 weeks! She’s now working for a real estate agency, with a new, long, successful career ahead of her and she couldn’t be happier!

When Cathy got in touch she said “I wanna sell the best version of myself and get the job!” – she was onto something really critical when she wrote that. To make a career change into a new industry, you MUST know yourself really well and be able to back yourself in an interview, especially when you know the competition will quite likely have the industry experience you don’t. *On that note, there are some genuinely clever ways to respond to those tricky interview questions, when they ask you to address something you don’t have much skills or experience in – this is one of the many things we help you with in our interview coaching sessions.

Once you have the self-awareness, the clarity and the goals, your ability to sell the best version of yourself will increase tenfold, if not more – not just in person but also across resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn.

Here at Kate Langford Career Consulting, we see people change industries every day. It is 100% possible, just like in Cathy’s case. You just need to set yourself up for success by not just understanding yourself, but also understanding the job market (including the hidden job market) and how to work it. This is what the Career Accelerator Program teaches you, and I, your coach, will be with you on the journey to support and guide you and to ensure you’re staying on track.

If you’re inspired by Cathy’s bold career move, get in touch! We’d love to hear more about YOUR situation and how we would be able to help you embark on something new and exciting in 2022! Book your non obligation  FREE CALL with one of our career consultants!